Our Experts
Ryan Knotek, PhD
Associate Research Scientist
Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean LifeEducation
PhD, Marine Science and Technology, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2020
MS, Marine Science and Technology, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2019
MS, Marine Science, University of New England, 2015
BS, Marine Biology, University of New England, 2012
About
Ryan Knotek, PhD, is an Associate Scientist in the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies (FSET) Program at the Anderson Cabot Center. His research centers around the interactions between sharks (and other fishes) and fishing industries. In particular, Ryan’s interested in the impacts of capture-and-handling on the health and survival of sharks released as bycatch. This interest includes the development of mitigation strategies such as bycatch avoidance measures or best fishing practices to reduce the incidental impact of fishing on sharks, particularly for overfished species. Ryan’s toolbox to address these fisheries-related questions includes the latest electronic tagging technologies (satellite and accelerometry), bloody chemistry tools, underwater videography with behavioral assessments, and spatial analytics. His work also heavily involves members of the fishing industry through cooperative research efforts ranging from work with recreational fishing charters to commercial bottom trawl and gillnet vessels. Ryan’s current research focuses on porbeagle sharks, spinner sharks, bull sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, and thorny skates.
Affiliations
- American Elasmobranch Society
- American Fisheries Society
- American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists
CV
Recent Publications
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Reproductive timing and putative mating behavior of the oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus in the eastern Bahamas
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Ryan Knotek, PhD
Published March 01, 2023 -
Long-term use of a shark breeding ground: three decades of mating site fidelity in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Nick Whitney, PhD, Ryan Knotek, PhD, Harold Pratt
Published October 17, 2022 -
Post-release mortality, recovery, and stress physiology of blacknose sharks, Carcharhinus acronotus, in the Southeast U.S. recreational shark fishery
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Ryan Knotek, PhD, Nick Whitney, PhD
Published October 01, 2022
Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life
Through pioneering conservation research and strategic partnerships, our team of 40 scientists works to combat the unprecedented impacts on the ocean from climate change and other human activities.
